Love Don't Come Easy
by MirrorrorriM
Summary: Syaoran is a new student at the local high school. Sakura is just an ordinary girl, looking for adventure. She falls for him. He falls for her. Complications arise. Enter scary music Not your classic SakuraSyaoran story.
1. Default Chapter

**(Author's Note: hi everyone…thank you for taking the time 2 read my story. This is my first fanfic, but I'm not telling you to go easy on me. Flames are accepted,'cuz I think they will make my story better. Hope you like it)**

Disclaimer: I don't own Cardcaptors characters: CLAMP does.

Chapter 1

BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!

"ARGHHHH!"

A pink something flew out of the covers, shattering as it hit the wall. The broken alarm clock (it was!) was followed by a much larger, much slower-moving pink something. Blinking her eyes bemusedly, Sakura stared at the dissected remains of her once-nice-and-furthermore-not-broken clock. Her eyes drooped, and a large sweatdrop appeared on her head.

"Great…that's the third one this week. Hoe…I'll never get used to those mass-produced plastic hunks of crap." As she was grumbling about this, a loud bout of knocking was heard outside her door.

"SAKURA! GET UP, KAIJOU! YOU'RE GONNA BE LATE FOR SCHOOL AGAIN! I'm coming in to wake you up if you don't reply! I'll—oomph!" Touya's proclamation was cut short as Sakura's door was flung open and immediately slammed shut, but for the split second in between, a fluffy pillow had found its way out the door into Touya's face.

"…I'll just leave you alone now."

Sakura chuckled to herself as she heard her brother stomping down the stairs. Then she sighed. Another day, she thought, another pile of unfinished homework to do before class, another test to flunk, another friend to make, another gym period to show off in. Perfect. She paused. Was she forgetting something? She had done her homework, checked that there was no bank practice, or basketball practice, or choir practice so…

Oh no. That pink clock had been the third one she had smashed this week. So that meant it was Kill the Clock Season. Also known as cross-country season.

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHY THE HELL DON'T I JUST GO _LIVE_ AT THE SCHOOL!" In two minutes flat she had dressed, brushed her teeth so fast that there was still toothpaste on it, practically inhaled her breakfast, and hopped into her rollerblades to speed to school in record time.

After another grueling half an hour of running ten times around a four-hundred metre track, Sakura was ready to collapse. Her best friend Tomoyo showed up, just in time to catch her, like she did every morning. The two girls laughed together, and waited for everyone else to show up. While they were doing so, Sakura told Tomoyo about the new joiner she had seen at cross-country practice.

"He was really good at it, and he never stopped running, not even once. Well, not that I do either, but that's besides the point. He was so strong, I could tell, and he kept on looking at me while we were running, and I knew he was 'cause I was looking at him too, but that's only 'cause I was curious, you know Tomoyo-Chan? Like, just that sort of new-student curiosity of some person who had just joined her cross-country team? I don't like him or anything, don't think like that, but I guess he WAS kinda cute…"

Tomoyo listened to her friend ramble on with a smile on her face, and laughed. Her amethyst eyes twinkled happily.

"Oh Sakura-Chan, if you didn't like him, why would you be talking about him so much in the first place?"

Sakura turned red. "Well, I think he kinda likes me too, you know?"

Tomoyo laughed, and was about to say more, but the rest of their friends had arrived. They walked into the school together, and got their books for their first class. They sat down, and listened to the morning announcements. Then, their teacher walked in.

"Class, today we have the honour of welcoming a new student. Here is Syaoran Li."

The door opened, and a tall boy with brown hair and dark amber eyes stepped into the room. One could almost hear the girls sighing in their minds as they looked at him. Tomoyo turned to Sakura, grinning, and was surprised to see her friend staring intently at the new student. She guessed immediately that this was the student Sakura had been talking about. Smiling, she turned back and stood up. Mr. Terada saw her.

"Yes Daidouji?"

"Terada-sensei, we have an empty desk here behind Sakura, so Li-kun can sit here,if there isn'troom anywhere else."

Sakura started. Tomoyo knew perfectly well that there weren't any more empty desks. She turned to her, trying to make eye contact. However, Tomoyo cleverly avoided her attempts. She turned back to the front, her face quietly becoming paler.

Mr. Terada smiled, and motioned for Syaoran to go and sit behind Sakura. As he passed her desk, she looked up at him. He glanced into her bright green eyes, and she felt a shock go through her. It was not unpleasant, and she looked back down, her heart beating just a fraction faster than usual. She was surprised at her reaction. _Come on Sakura, _she told herself. _It's just some new guy…yeesh what's wrong with you? You already like Yukito. _

Unbeknownst to her, Syaoran had been thinking the same thing. _Get a grip on yourself Syaoran. She's just some other girl who has nice eyes. And who is good at cross-country. But you're engaged to Meiling, whether you like it or not, so forget about this girl. _

As they were lost in their own thoughts, a voice came over the speakers. "…and don't forget, we're having a Hallowe'en Dance, so come in your costume and get ready to party! Don't forget, for those couples out there, we'll be playing some slow songs…"

Tomoyo smiled as she heard this. _Sakura, you're in for a nice time. _


	2. The Chapter After the Beginning

**(Author's Note: singing I got reviews! I got reviews! Yay! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I've made some changes, thanks to Reviewer 131. By the way, Sakura, Syaoran and Co, are all 17. Sakura can't drive, but Syaoran can. Tomoyo doesn't need to know because she has about 5 personal drivers. Here is chapter 2…)**

Disclaimer: I don't own Cardcaptors characters: CLAMP does. I own their personalities in this story and any other character that I make up.

Chapter 2

The school bell rang. Sakura, who had been dozing off in Math class, woke to find her classmates staring curiously at her. She blushed, looking down at the paper on which she was supposed to be taking notes. Luckily, the cheerful sound of an ice-cream truck pulling up in front of the school distracted the class, and for a few moments, all that could be heard was the scraping of chairs, the rustling of papers and the happy good-byes of students looking forward to the weekend.

Tomoyo sighed happily. She looked over at Sakura's blank paper, then at her own papers, which were all filled with her neat curly writing. She grinned, then said,

"Fell asleep again Saku-chan?"

Sakura groaned. "Do I ever manage to stay awake?"

Tomoyo laughed lightheartedly. "You should have today! Now I know what you were so worked up about this morning. That new guy—"

A slight rustling of papers stopped her short. She turned around, and saw the "forgotten" new student, who was quietly straightening his sheets and pretending not to listen. Tomoyo quickly got over her surprise.

"Ohayou Li-kun! How do you like the school so far? I hope we haven't been too excluding in our studies." She smiled, then glanced at Sakura. Sakura, who had been packing things away in her bag, fumbled and dropped her papers. She grimaced, then smiled nervously.

"Wow, you're clumsy."

Sakura stiffened. She turned slowly around to face Syaoran. _That wasn't very nice of him, _she thought. But she quickly got rid of the thought.

"Li-kun, are you going to the Area meet for cross-country next week?" she asked.

"Sure…and I can't believe how easy it is to get onto the team here. At my old school in Hong Kong, we had to be in the top ten to even qualify. No offense, but your school has low standards."

Tomoyo raised her eyebrows and looked over to see her friend's indignant face.

"Well aren't you Mr. High-and-Mighty…so what if the school has lower standards than the one you went to in Hong Kong? You can't judge all of us by that."

Syaoran grinned. "I was just kidding. Jeez, can't you Japanese people take a little joke?" and with that, he walked out of the classroom, leaving behind a shocked Tomoyo and a glowering Sakura.

Syaoran opened the door to his apartment. Dropping his stuff, he collapsed on the couch and turned on the TV. A sitcom came on, but he wasn't watching it. He was thinking.

_Why was it so hard to insult her? Well, all I know is that I can't start liking her, or anyone else. If I do, Meiling will kill me, and I don't even want to think what mother will do. _

The ringing of the telephone interrupted his thoughts. Syaoran reached over and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Xiao Lang?"

"M-mother?"

"Of course it's me, who else would call you except for Meiling? Now tell me, how is school there? Have you fallen in love? I hope you haven't, because Meiling is getting more impatient by the day to marry you, and it's all I can do to stop her from hopping onto a plane and flying to Japan."

"Of course I haven't fallen in love. I'm the heir to the Li Clan. I don't love easily. You and the Elders taught me that long ago."

"Good. Well, I'm just checking on you. Be sure to eat properly, don't stay up for the whole night meditating, and do your homework. We'll bring you back if you don't take care of yourself."

Syaoran sweatdropped. Sure, Yelan was his mother, and one of the most ruthless women he'd ever known, but she could be overprotective in her own cold way.

"Don't worry, mother. I'm 17. I can handle it."

"All right. I'll trust you. Goodbye, and call whenever you have time."

"Goodbye."

"Ugh! I can't stand him!" Sakura yelled, stomping around. Tomoyo winced as she heard something crack.

"Sakura-chan, calm down. If you don't you're going to knock your whole house down. Look, you just stepped on your brand new alarm clock."

Sakura looked down. "AAAARGGHHH! IT'S ALL HIS FAULT! IF HE HADN'T PISSED ME OFF LIKE THIS, I'D BE _FINE_, AND SO WOULD MY ALARM CLOCK!"

To her surprise, Tomoyo laughed. "Saku-chan, I know you like him."

"WHAT! Tomoyo-chan, have you not been listening to what I've been saying for the past ten minutes? How could I possibly _like _him? Besides, you know I like Yukito-kun."

"Well," Tomoyo said thoughtfully. "if it were any other guy who said anything like what Li-kun said to you, you would have just said 'I hate him' and left it at that. But you've been ranting on about this specific someone for ages, and I'm beginning to think that you like getting mad at him just so you can talk about him." Before Sakura could explode, she quickly changed the subject.

"By the way, are you going to the dance?" And before Sakura could calm down enough to talk about it, she said, "because I think you should dance with him."

To her surprise, Sakura didn't explode. "Hmm, do you think he _would _dance with me? Do you think that he'd _ask _me? I mean, not that I'd care or anything, 'cause I want Yukito-san to come to the dance…Touya said he might!"

Tomoyo laughed. "Of course he will. You just wait and see."

**I know, I know, that chapter didn't tell us anything. I was merely letting people get to know the characters better. In case you haven't figured them out yet, Sakura is a tomboy who doesn't give a damn about what she looks like, Tomoyo is her best friend who _does_ care about what she wears, and Syaoran is a guy who doesn't show his feelings. And in case I forget to mention, the next chapter is the Hallowe'en dance…O.o**


	3. The Hallowe'en Dance

**(Author's Note: Thanks so much for reviewing (again). This is the chapter of the Hallowe'en dance. FYI, you people rock!)**

Disclaimer: I don't own Cardcaptors characters: CLAMP does. I own their personalities in this story and any other character that I make up.

Chapter 3

Sakura, Tomoyo, and their friends, Chiharu, Naoko, and Rika were sitting outside in the schoolyard. They were discussing the upcoming dance, and also complaining about how much homework they had to do. But they were mostly talking about the dance.

"Ooh, I'm excited! It's my first dance ever!" Sakura squealed, jumping up and down. She was dressed in the traditional vampire costume, complete with bloody fangs, a black suit, and a sweeping cape.

Everyone sweatdropped. Chiharu turned to her.

"Sakura-Chan, are you going to ask anyone to dance?" she asked, grinning. Chiharu was Dorothy of Oz, and her costume complimented her pigtails very well. All the girls giggled at her question.

"Hmm…well, I don't know. Are you going to ask Takashi-kun, Chiharu-chan?" Sakura retorted, smiling and showing her vampire teeth. Chiharu blushed. She quickly covered it up by scowling.

"NO! I'm not asking that no-good liar to dance!"

Everyone laughed. They all knew about Chiharu's stubbornness. Their laughter stopped as a voice came over the P.A.

"Everybody, please come to the gym now. The dance is about to begin." They all scrambled up off of the grass, brushed themselves off, and raced each other into the school. Sakura won, of course.

They stepped into the dark gym, where pop music was blaring loudly from the speakers.

Sakura looked around eagerly, but no one was dancing. She walked over to Tomoyo, puzzled.

"Why isn't anyone dancing?" she asked.

Tomoyo shrugged. "It's always like that. People socialize during the fast dances and everyone dances or laughs at people during the slow songs. Ooh, I love this song!" Tomoyo began to nod her head to the music.

Sakura raised an eyebrow, and quietly sauntered away. She headed for Chiharu and Takashi, who were having a heated argument about the history of dances. Sakura laughed at them and said,

"I dare you guys to dance at the next slow song!"

Chiharu inhaled sharply, then turned red. She sneaked a peek at Takashi. To her surprise, he was smiling. Her heart leapt…then plummeted as he said,

"Sakura-chan, did you know that in Swaziland they showed affection by drawing the finger across the throat, while in Western cultures, people showed affection by kisses and hugs? And here in Japan, ah…the great Japan, here we--gurgle"

Chiharu's strangling fingers around his throat cut him off.

"Takashi you liar! Stop it!" Sakura and Takashi were both laughing too hard to notice the sad look on Chiharu's face.

_Why can't he just take something seriously for once? _She wondered. _I would…if Sakura-chan had asked me. But I suppose…if he did start doing that, I would lose my respect for him, maybe even stop liking him. No, that's the reason I like him; because he is who he is. No one else is like him, no one else can be like him._

"Chiharu-chan! Stop!"

"Whaaa?" Chiharu looked at Sakura, dimly aware of her friend staring at her and mouthing something. She looked at Takashi, bemused, and found that he had turned blue. She hadn't even realized she had still been strangling him. She gasped, then let go of him as if she had been burned.

"Takashi! I'm so sorry! Forgive me…I suddenly drifted off and I forgot that you were there…heh…" Chiharu smiled nervously.

Takashi got up off of the floor and started laughing, to her great relief.

"Chiharu-chan, you amuse me. I found out that I actually valued life very much while you had your hands around my neck trying to squeeze it out of me."

Chiharu sighed with relief. She had been sure that Takashi would have been angry with her. But then again, that was why she loved him. He never got angry.

Sakura was giggling. "Takashi-kun, do you realize that Chiharu-chan called you your name without the honorific? I thought only lovers did that…"

Chiharu went three shades pinker.

"Sakura-chan, if you say something like that again, I'll be sure it's _you _I strangle next time!" Then she smiled as Takashi laughed again.

Sakura grinned and waved goodbye to them. She wandered around a bit, watching the many groups of people talking and having a good time. _Hmm, I wonder where Li-kun is. It's hard to imagine him dancing, or even coming to a dance. _She left in search of Tomoyo, and found her staring blankly at one spot.

"Tomoyo-chan?"

"Hmm?" Tomoyo seemed to not have heard her best friend. Sakura followed her line of sight, and found herself looking at a tall, thin boy, who had his back turned to them. He was quite good-looking, actually, with his midnight-blue hair...and…glasses! Sakura raised her eyebrows and glanced quizzically at Tomoyo, who was still staring at him.

"'Moyo-chan, are you alright?"

"Eh?" Her eyes were still glazed…

"Tomoyo-chan?"

"Yes?" The boy had her undivided attention.

"Tomoyo-chan, _look at me!_"

"Huh?" Was that a bit of drool at the corner of her mouth?

"**Tomoyo! Will you freaking stop staring at him and pay some attention to the little people down here?"**…which caused many stares from her fellow students.

But it finally got Tomoyo's attention. "Oh! I'm so sorry Saku-chan! I didn't hear you…were you saying something?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You were staring at that guy over there, eh?"

Tomoyo blushed lightly. "Oh no," she said. "It's a new student, just transferred over from England. Terada-sensei was talking about him the other day, and I overheard. So I was just curious about who he was…"

"Whatever you say 'Moyo-chan, but I dare you to dance with him!"

"What! Oh, no you don't Saku!"

"Oh yes I do, 'Moyo!"

"Fine! If I do, then you have to dance with Li-kun."

"…" Sakura sweatdropped. "I'll pass, thanks."

"No problemo."

As they were arguing, a slow song started. Sakura and Tomoyo stopped talking, and decided to walk around and have a good look at everyone. They saw some people dancing closely together, obviously enjoying themselves, and others staying as far away from each other as they could without breaking contact. Sakura and Tomoyo had a good laugh at those couples. While they were trying to contain their mirth as they watched a particularly stubborn pair, someone spoke.

"Er…Daidouji-chan," a voice asked. They turned to see a boy with black hair and mischievous grey eyes.

"Yes?" replied Tomoyo.

"My name is Ryuri Hakigawa, and I want to ask you if you would like to dance."

Tomoyo was obviously taken aback, but she smiled sweetly and said,

"I'd love to Hakigawa-kun." She stepped up to him, and he stepped closer to her.

Sakura watched in fascination as her friend and this strange boy started swaying to the music. She grinned at Tomoyo, who grinned back, then left to look for her friend Naoko.

She found her outside the gym, buying a can of pop.

"Naoko-chan!" Sakura exclaimed happily. "How are you liking the dance so far?"

Naoko made a face and said, "It's quite boring, actually. I should have brought a book, then I wouldn't be stuck out here with nothing to do."

"Will you dance with anyone?"

Naoko looked at her, smiling.

"I don't know Sakura-chan, but I think you should dance with Li-kun." Sakura scoffed as she heard this.

"Sheesh, why is everyone saying that? I don't even like him."

"But you will! You will!" Naoko stated in a singsong voice, and led the way back into the gym. The slow song had ended and a fast one had come back on. Tomoyo joined them, and they stood around talking, then heard the DJ say,

"This will be the last song everyone. Grab somebody and dance the night away!"

Everyone laughed appreciatively, then started pairing up again. Tomoyo got asked to dance by another unknown boy **(a/n: you might have noticed that she's pretty popular** **among the guys)**, and left Sakura and Naoko standing by the wall. The song started, and Naoko left to join Takashi and Chiharu.

Sakura sighed. The dance hadn't really been what she had expected. It had been quite the opposite, actually. She turned and caught sight of Syaoran's figure standing sillouetted against the lighted stage.

"Sakura-chan, come here!" Naoko was calling out to her from where she stood with Takashi and Chiharu. But Sakura didn't notice. She was watching Syaoran. She didn't know it, but in the darkness, he was watching her too.

**(A/N: I'm sorry this chapter was so crappy, but I was kind of on a writer's block. Please stick with me, I promise the upcoming chapters will get better and better.)**


	4. Cross Country: Good or Bad?

**(Author's Note: I beg you all on bended knees, I beseech you, my dear readers, I implore you to forgive me for not updating in years and years and years. I guess I shouldn't have started this story if I wasn't ready to continue it. I promise that it will never EVER take me half as long to update again! Anyway, now that I have, on with the show! Also, I was reading through my story when I realized that I had so many errors and open ends…I was horrified! So here's my best attempt to smooth over those bumps and make the story less confusing …)**

Disclaimer: I don't own Cardcaptors characters: CLAMP does. I own their personalities in this story and any other character that I make up.

Chapter 4

"…and to all of our cross-country runners today, good luck! We are all behind you! Bring us the first place and we'll be proud of you, but not if you bring us anything less. Just kidding! Have a nice day, everyone."

Sakura heard this and felt the butterflies start reproducing at an alarming rate in her stomach. But she knew it would be nothing compared to what she'd feel while she was waiting at the starting line. She glanced over at Syaoran, wondering if he felt the butterflies too. But, as always, his face was impassive…unrevealing of what he really thought. She rolled her eyes at herself. _Why would you wanna know what he's really thinking? Seriously, you're getting soft. _

Tomoyo looked over at Sakura. She smiled, watching Sakura's brow furrow as she stared unconsciously as Syaoran.

"Saku-chan," she whispered loudly.

Sakura didn't notice.

"Sakura-chan!"

"Whaa? Oh, sorry Moyo-chan…heh…" Sakura sweatdropped.

Tomoyo smiled cheerfully. "Anyway, good luck with your race today! I know you'll do really well!" _I hope she'll be able to talk to Li-kun today…I can't believe I forgot to get them to dance together at the Hallowe'en dance! _

"No I won't! I can run fast for short distances, but I can't do really long ones…like cross-country."

"Sure you can! Well, you could probably do better than any of us here, at least."

Sakura grinned. She knew it was true.

"See? You know it's true!" Tomoyo laughed.

Mr. Terada stood up and cleared his throat.

"Okay, class. As we all know, today is the Area cross-country meet. Kinomoto and Li will be representing, not only our class, but the whole school!"

Everybody sweatdropped at his overly cheerful manner.

Sakura leaned over and whispered into Tomoyo's ear.

"Sheesh, I hate his corny speeches…they give me goosebumps." She shuddered.

Tomoyo just managed to hold in a snort of laughter, hastily turning it into a very polite and ladylike cough. Mr. Terada looked annoyed.

"Well, are you going to start encouraging them or not!"

The class was silent for a shocked second. Then they broke into applause, and some not-so-muffled laughter. A few shouts of "Go Sakura-chan and Li-kun!" were heard.

"Go Saku-chan!" Tomoyo said cheerfully.

Sakura smiled. Syaoran didn't.

They got up and grabbed their jackets, hurrying out of the classroom to catch the bus. Syaoran shut the door behind them, sighing in relief at the quiet.

They ran outside. Sakura glanced up, startled to see that the nice day had suddenly turned cloudy and gray. She shrugged off the coldness that had settled around her shoulders and boarded the bus. Sitting down with her friend Yoko, she chatted happily, and tried to ignore the feeling of unease growing in the pit of her stomach.

As they filed off the bus, Sakura noticed the clouds coming in thick and fast. The wind picked up, blowing tiny droplets of rain into their faces.

"When are we running Sakura-chan?" asked Yuko.

"I think we're running second last, before the guys."

Yuko sighed. "We have a loong time to wait…" she groaned. She spread out her blanket, then dumped herself on it. Sakura blinked and sat down beside her.

"We should get changed."

"Let's do it later. It's so cold!"

"Fine."

"…"

"Do you wanna play cards or something?"

"…"

----------

The rain clouds swept in faster than they could say, "I'm cold".

Sakura looked over at Yoko, who was shivering. She turned back, and her gaze unconciously drifted towards the group of boys who were looking equally as sullen as they were. She searched out Syaoran, who was already changed and ready to run.

Sakura sniffed. "Come on Yoko-chan, let's go change and stretch a bit."

"But there are still two races till we're on…"

"Who cares, let's go anyway. We might not get another chance."

Yoko raised an eyebrow at this pathetic reasoning, but consented.

After they changed, they ran around, warming up their ankles and knees. Their supervisor came walking up with a crate of Tomoeda High jerseys. Sakura glanced over and saw the boys flocking around the crate, picking out the ones that fit them. She rolled her eyes and turned away.

"Sakura," called a voice.

"What?" she asked, turning around. It was Syaoran.

"Get a jersey. Or they'll be all gone."

Her heart thudded, but she raised her eyebrows and smiled slightly.

"Yeah, I know. Thanks."

Syaoran nodded and turned away to talk with his friends.

----------

Soon, Sakura was soaked to the skin. She wrapped her jacket more tightly around her and sighed. She and Yoko walked back and forth between the finish line (to cheer on people from their school) and the tree that they had dumped their stuff under (to shelter from the rain). Finally, they walked to the starting line, where all the girls in their age group were gathered, ready to start the race.

Sakura peeled off her wet jacket and track pants, and jumped around in her shorts. She got into the place in line, in front of Yoko. She looked over at the boys(again!), who were getting a prep-talk from one of the adults. The wind suddenly whipped a gust of rain into her face, making her shiver.

Suddenly, she tensed up, feeling her breath come ragged and fast. A man with a popgun and a microphone walked in front of the line of girls. He looked them over, then shook his head as they all stared apprehensively back at him, and started speaking into the microphone.

"Hello girls. Nice weather today, eh?" Sakura raised an eyebrow and exchanged glances with Yoko. He must have rehearsed this about a hundred times. "Running in the rain helps to build character, or so I'm told…it hasn't worked yet though." There were a few appreciative chuckles at this. The man continued, "On a more serious note, here are the qualifications to make it to the regional meet. The first 15 individuals to cross the finish line will go on, as will the top three teams. That is to say, if your whole team got ok results, the entire team makes it. Pretty easy to understand, even for you lot. Now, when you see this red flag go down--" he raised a red flag and waved it around for everyone to see—"and hear the gun go off, start running. Remember what I said about the regionals! Are we all clear? Excellent. Good luck to everyone."

He walked off to the end of the line, out of everyone's way. Sakura's hands were shaking uncontrollably, and she held her breath so that no one would hear her nervous rasping. Had she been slightly more alert, she would have noticed that everyone else around her was in the same predicament. As it was, all she felt was the agitated fluttering of her heart beneath her ribs. The air suddenly seemed so much colder…

"Ready? Set…Go!" The red flag dropped at the same moment a resounding CRACK! sliced through the air.

The wave of girls surged forward. Individual team members quickly lost sight of each other in the throng of multicoloured jerseys. Sakura saw her own teammates disappear, and urged herself on. The shock of the race was already beginning to wear off, as she cleared her mind of everything except running. _Pace yourself, Saku. There'll be time to catch up. Just stay with that girl in blue up ahead, and you'll be fine. _She settled quickly into the rhythm of running, feeling her feet beat the soft ground. _I can do this._

Ten minutes later, she was tired out, despite the many times she had told herself not to sprint and use up her energy in one quick burst. She had lost count of all the people that had passed her, and the girl in blue was out of sight. Sakura hadn't even noticed. She concentrated on breathing in and out, setting her mind to taking one steady step at a time. So intent was she on catching up to the person in front of her that she tripped over a small ditch in the road. Sakura gritted her teeth, feeling a spurt of exhaustion shoot up her legs, making her stumble.

The rain whipped into her face, blowing her sopping wet bangs into her eyes. _Stupid hair,_ she thought automatically. _But I'm past caring. _

She was indeed. She was so tired that she couldn't muster the energy to brush it out of her eyes, or even scratch a killer itch that had been there since the race began. _I can't wait for the finish line…_she found herself thinking.

Her legs felt as though there were a tonne of bricks tied to them, draining her energy and slowing her down. Every step she took was an effort, and with every breath came the sharp pang of cold air in her lungs. Still she ran on, for she knew that if she stopped, it would be all the more difficult to start again.

Finally, she reached the uphill climb that marked the last stretch of the race. Sakura paced herself (again...sweatdrop), knowing that the last reserves of her energy would be needed for the burst of speed at the end.

As she neared the top of the rise, she glanced to the sides. All around her were girls who were near their last step. They were stumbling along, movements awkward and clumsy. More than a few looked as if they were close to tears.

_At least I'm not that weak…_Sakura thought. At last, she reached the top of the rise. From where she was, she could see the finish line, dimly visible through the rain. Sakura put on a huge burst of speed and raced down the hill, seeing the other girls pick up their pace and try valiantly to keep up with her. But she plowed on, her brow furrowing as she poured every last ounce of her strength into racing across the finish line.

She managed to pass four of the five people that were in front of her, and finally shot across the finish just seconds behind the fifth.

_Finally,_ she thought, _I can breathe._ Opening her mouth, she sucked a huge breath of air into her hungry lungs. Her body felt deprived of all feeling, and she only felt numb as the rain splattered down on her once more. She forced herself to keep walking, so as not to completely lose all feeling in her legs. She walked up to a man who was holding a bunch of little papers. He handed her a blue slip with her rank on it.

Sakura braced herself. She knew that she hadn't done the best. She looked down at the damp piece of paper. 50th. She breathed out in disappointment. That had to be the worst she had ever done in any athletic event in her life. _Oh well. At least I won't have to run this at regionals!_

Smiling slightly, she looked around for Yoko. Not seeing her, she headed back towards the finish to look. As she approached, she saw Yoko come running along full tilt, neck and neck with a blond girl. They were moving almost simultaneously as they raced for the higher place. Yoko pushed herself to run faster at the last second, and the blond girl lost 64th place by half a foot.

"Go Yoko-chan!" cried Sakura tiredly. Yoko looked over at her and grinned forlornly.

They walked together back to their tree, longing to just sit down where they were and call it a day.

"I'm so tired I can't even move my arms," groaned Yoko.

"Oh yeah? I'm so tired I can't feel my toes," countered Sakura.

"I can't move my arms to try and take off this stupid jersey."

"I can't open my eyes to SEE my arms trying to take off this stupid jersey."

"Puh. I can't even talk."

"Yeah, me neither."

They laughed and flopped down under the tree.

"Ugh, we should go grab our stuff. It's still by the starting line. We'll die of hypothermia otherwise," grumbled Yoko.

"Mmm…what?" Sakura was drifting off, thinking about a certain someone who would be running his race.

Yoko repeated herself, looking at Sakura strangely.

"Mmm…Damn it all," muttered Sakura.

----------

Syaoran ran past yet another boy in a gray jersey. _What's wrong with all these schools? Why are they so eager to blend into the landscape? What's with these damn gray things? And why am I asking myself so many questions?_

He looked up. In the distance, he saw a spot of green among all the gray shades. As he got closer, he noticed the green start fading to gray, like everything else. _Oh boy. I'm so tired I'm delirious. How fun!_

He stepped in a patch of particularly wet grass and slipped. He just managed to regain his balance, but felt a wave of exhaustion rush through him.

_Damn it all_

----------

Sakura and Yoko hauled themselves up yet another hill, finally reaching their belongings by the starting line. They pulled them on, feeling the wet clothes stick to them like a second skin.

"I feel gross…" complained Yoko.

"I don't feel anything," replied Sakura.

Mumbling about the terrible timing of the Athletics Association and their knack for bad weather, they practically crawled to the finish line, watching as the first boys started coming over the rise.

"Nobody from school yet…"

"Ha! There! It's Josh and Darren!"

"Man…they're good."

The two girls watched in awe as Josh and Darren raced past them.

"Holy crap…fourth and fifth. I'm jealous."

Sakura didn't reply. She was watching for Syaoran. _Wait! What am I doing? Why Syaoran? Where's uhh…Takei? Yeah, where's Takei!_

"Where's Takei?"

"Dunno…why?"

"Uhh…he's from our school isn't he?

"Yeah, and so's Syaoran."

"Oh yeah! Err…where's Syaoran then?"

Yoko rolled her eyes. Then she started. "Here they come!"

Syaoran and Takei both came over the rise at the same time, their faces showing their obvious effort as they ran.

"Go Syaoran-kun!" It wasn't until after Sakura said it that she realized what she had said. She felt the heat rising in her face. Yoko grinned at her.

"Heyy…you said his name! Hehehe…"

"What?" demanded Sakura, turning red. "He's in my class!"

"Sure…"

----------

Feeling as though his leg muscles were about to cramp up and fail him completely, Syaoran ran up the hill. He glanced back and saw Takei on his heels. As they reached the top, Takei leveled with him, and slowly passed him.

_Oh, no you don't. I've worked too hard to get up this freaky hill to let you just pass me, _thought Syaoran.

He increased his speed, watching as Takei did the same. They sped down the hill, barely noticing the crowd of spectators around the finish. Then a voice came from nowhere at all, cutting through Syaoran's tiredness and firing up his determination.

"Go Syaoran-kun!"

He knew without looking that it was Sakura. But he ignored her, regardless of the hope that now dwelled freshly in his mind. _I can beat this guy._

He ran faster, getting ahead of Takei. Suddenly, he felt something against his ankle.

It was as if he were falling in slow motion, giving him time to look around at everyone. He saw Takei's face in front of him, straining. He saw Josh and Darren over by the finish line, basking in their glory. He saw Yoko's face, then Sakura's. She was smiling and shouting something at him. And suddenly he found his feet again.

Quickly, he shot out a hand to catch him a second before he hit the ground. He used the second it gained him to start running again. _I bet Takei tripped me on purpose. _

But in the few seconds he had lost, Takei had gained a wider lead. He was the first across the finish line. Syaoran followed, and stumbled to a halting walk as he followed Takei up the finishing chute. Already, the numbing exhaustion was dimming his anger at his teammate. He reached the man with the papers and took his rank.

Carelessly, he glanced down at it. 37th. _I don't give. It's just a race._

"Hey, good run, Syao-kun!" It was Takei, beaming all bright and happy at the fact that he actually beat Syaoran Li.

Syaoran gave him a smile that looked more like a grimace. _You bloody bastard. Hah, it's okay. I forgive you. It's just a race._

"Yeah, good run."

----------

_Where's Syaoran? I should congratulate him. _Sakura high-fived another guy who had just finished his race. Yoko stood behind her, looking amused at the large amount of sportsmanship that Sakura was suddenly showing.

Syaoran walked up a hill towards the place where their school had set up "camp" (A/N: "camp" being where they put their school banners and their tents and where all the athletes met at the end of the day.). He saw Sakura hi-fiving Takei, and saw Takei smile at her. _What's wrong with him? Flirting with Sakura…_

He walked down towards them. Sakura caught sight of him and walked up to him cheerily.

"What did you get?" she asked.

"Thirty seventh."

"Ohh…good job!" She grinned, then offered up a hand.

She saw his face break into the first true smile she had seen yet, and smiled back at him. They high-fived each other, and kept on walking their separate ways. Suddenly Syaoran turned and asked,

"What did you get?"

"Bad." Her eyes drooped in exasperation at herself.

He laughed. "Since when was bad a number?"

"Since now!" _Wow, he really can be nice. Hang on a sec, why am I…so warm? Why was his hand…so warm? Why am I THINKING these warm and fuzzy thoughts? ARGHH! I MUST BE GOING MAD!_

Yoko caught up to her a minute later, sweatdropping as she saw Sakura's wild eyes and her even wilder face.

"Uhh…are you okay?" she asked, trying not to laugh.

"Huh?" Sakura looked at her, confused. "When did you pop up?"

_She's hopeless…_thought Yoko, sighing.

----------

The rain poured down, so fast it was as if they were all standing in a gigantic bathtub, and the shower was on full blast.

Sakura and Yoko clambered on to the steamy bus, grabbing paper towels to sit on.

Yoko laughed as she sat down, seeing a wet imprint of Sakura's butt on the seat.

"Hmph. It's not like YOUR butt is any less wet," grumbled Sakura. "Stand up!"

Yoko did, and Sakura started laughing uncontrollably at the sight of the paper towel stuck to Yoko's behind. The water had seeped through, so that there was a clear stamp of the shape of Yoko's butt attached to her butt.

Yoko looked confused, then ran a hand along her backside. She guessed what Sakura was laughing at.

"Shut up!"

They burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. Everyone on the bus stared.

Syaoran chuckled, watching them from the back of the bus. _Sakura, you're amusing. Only you could turn a wet day into a joke about behinds. _(A/N: I don't know how he saw that…uhh…let's pretend he has x-ray vision and can see through bus seats and about 20 other kids. Like Superman! Go superman!)

----------

Tomoyo grinned as Sakura related to her the events of the day. She had been talking for over and hour and Tomoyo had a feeling that Sakura had forgotten she was on the phone. _So they high-fived, huh? This is getting interesting…looks like Saku-chan has found someone special. _Tomoyo chuckled quietly to herself and listened with a smile as Sakura rambled on.

"…and then I think he was watching me when he was retying his shoe. Like I mean, I was just standing there talking with Yoko-chan, and I just _happened_ to glance at him, and he was staring at me. We kinda locked eyes for a second, then he just _casually_ looked away. It was funny, actually…"

**(A/N: This has been an extremely loong chapter. I think it was quite boring. But the next one WILL be better! I promise! It will be! And any ideas are more than welcome. Again, I ask for your forgiveness and promise that the next chapter will be up soon.)**


	5. No Hair and More Broken Clocks

**(Author's Note: Hurrah! It didn't take me years! And many thanks to anonymous reviewer hello who pointed out that my summary was wrong. To EmbeRin, I promise you will know why they are 17 soon enough. Be patient young one…-smiles wisely- I should also mention that in this fic Sakura's dad is not an archeologist, but he works in an office and answers boring phone calls and gets yelled at like any typical parent who works. And "merde" means "shit" in French. Just in case you wonder. Here is chapter 5.)**

Disclaimer: I don't own Cardcaptors characters: CLAMP does. I own their personalities in this story and any other character that I make up.

Chapter 5

The rest of the autumn passed by quickly. The students of Tomoeda High saw the leaves change colours and slowly flutter to the ground.

Before long, there was frost on the ground, and a hint of winter lingered in the crisp air. Everything changed to accommodate the cold weather. Except…

BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!

"AAAARRRRGGHHH! DIE YOU STUPID BLEEPING THING!"

The "stupid bleeping thing" went flying through the air, out the open window, and could distinctly be heard smashing into tiny bits on the ground two stories below.

Downstairs, Touya whipped his head around and glared out the porch window, trying to find the source of the disturbance. He saw bits of pink plastic, tiny springs, and pieces of metal strewn haphazardly all over the brown lawn.

"Hmph. The kaijou will never change." He chuckled to himself.

Back upstairs, Sakura crawled sleepily out of bed. Meandering hazily down the hallway towards the bathroom, she walked right into the wall. Bouncing off and not registering a thing, she attempted to walk through it again…and again…and again...

Finally, after fifteen minutes, Sakura came stumping down the stairs, hair disheveled and eyes still full of sleep.

"Morning onii-chan...have you sen my alarm clock? I just had a funny dream where I threw it out the window...but it was just a dream, of course. So have you seen it?"

Touya sweatdropped and quickly stifled a laugh.

"Uh...I have seen it. It's...erm...out there..." he pointed to the porch window, determinedly not meeting his little sister's eyes. _Here we go..._

In spite of himself, he looked up at her, fighting a smile as he anticipated her reaction.

She was standing stock-still, staring out the window. "Okay, maybe I'm still dreaming."

Without a word, her brother reached over and yanked her hair, VERY hard. _I must be suicidal, _he thought immediately.

Sakura stared for a second at the clump of brown hair in his hand, then at the big hallway mirror in which she was reflected. A girl who was missing a gruesomely large amount of hair on one side of her head stared back. A red tinge appeared on her cheeks.

"Ow..."

As she rounded on Touya (who was cowering in fright), her eyes caught sight of the kitchen clock.

"SHIT!"

Grabbing a pair of chopsticks and whacking Touya hard on the head with them ("I thank my lucky stars that that's all she's doing..." he thought), she raced out ot the kitchen, hurtling up the stairs three at a time.

Two minutes later, she was streaking out the door.

"Bye 'nii-chan! Love you!" (Touya had rather redeemed himself by stopping her from eating a blob of old toothpaste that looked a bit too much like mayonnaise)

----------

Sakura skidded to a stop in front of her classrrom door and wrenched the door open, trying to get her breathing under control. Stumbling to her seat, she grinned weakly at Tomoyo and dropped her books with a loud _thunk _on the desk.

"Kinomoto!"

Her eyes snapped up to the front of the room. Terada-sensei was obviously in a very bad mood.

"What do you mean by barging into my class like this as if you owned it?"

"'Cause you obviously don't," Sakura muttered in an undertone. The people around her stifled giggles.

"What was that?" demanded the teacher.

"I apologize for acting as though I own the room," said Sakura sweetly.

"Hmph," grumbled Terada-sensei. "Well, apology accepted." He suddenly became all bright and cheery again. "As I was saying before I was so politely interrupted--" the class tittered, detecting no trace of sarcasm in his voice. "--your year has the privelege of taking a sightseeing tour around Tokyo. It will be quite an educational experience, given that there is so much to learn about our country's history. However, I am afraid the fees are quite--" He broke off abruptly as the class started laughing again. He glared at a certain brown-haired green-eyed ("Terrible eyes, that one..." thought Terada-sensei) individual who was currently staring out the window, unaware that she was exposing the bare side of her unfortunate scalp to her cackling classmates.

"Kinomoto!" He roared, ignoring the fact that most of the class had stuffed their fists into their mouths to choke back their laughter (and indeed there was more than one person who actually did gag).

"Whaa...?" Sakura spun around to face the front, her hand unconsciously probing through her hair. It ran over the bald spot. "Oh..." She turned red and lifted up her textbook to hide herself.

"Now then," continued Terada-sensei. "We will be touring for one week--" the class let out an excited cheer "--and will be staying at the various hotels around our destinations. Obviously, the school cannot afford for each of you to have a private room to yourselves, so you will have to get into groups of four. Normally, the board would have let you organize yourselves into these groups, but as of this year they have decided it best if the teachers were given that authority."

Everyone groaned.

"You wait," Sakura whispered to Tomoyo. "I'm gonna get stuck with the gayest group of nerdy nosepicking kids in the class. Either that or I'll be with a bunch of perverted egoheads who think they rule the world." Tomoyo chuckled.

"I will now post the groups up on the board. Please do not come rushing up like a group of buffalo and trample each other trying to look at the lists. Wait until recess. Now that we're through all that, on to math..."

Sakura felt her attentiveness slipping away...as usual...

----------

The bell rang and everyone dropped their math books, rushing up to the front. Sakura elbowed her way up to the front, followed by Tomoyo (who apologized to them and handed few people bandages). Her eyes ran over the lists until she found her name under Group C.

_Hmm...me(who else?)...Tomoyo-chan (yay!)...Yamazaki-kun (Chiharu-chan will hate me forever)...and Syaoran-kun. (Oh merde.) _

"Hey look Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo's cheerfully loud voice sounded from behind her. "We're in the same group! We're a bunch of nerdy perverted egoheads who pick their noses! And _look!_" Her voice got louder. _And higher, _thought Sakura. "Yamazaki-kun is with us too!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Chiharu whip aroun, a slightly disappointed look on her face. She hid a grin, then grimaced as Tomoyo's voice became positively shrill.

"And LOOK!" Tomoyo squealed with delight. "Li-kun's also in our group! Isn't that just _wonderful?_" Sakura sweatdropped and edged away, exchanging I-don't-know-her-either looks with everyone she bumped into.

"I'm in your group?" asked a slighly bored voice.

"Uh...yeah. Fun eh?" said Sakura, meeting Syaoran's gaze shakily. _Damn, what's wrong with me? _

"...Sure."

There was an awkward pause.

"Err...I gotta go now." Sakura quietly sidled away, thinking, _Okay, this has got to stop. This could lead to something I don't wanna deal with right now. Then again...I always thought Yukito-san was too old for me. Still... _She sighed.

----------

"Onii-chan! I'm home!"

Nobody answered her. "Hmm...he should be back by now." She wandered into the kitchen to fix herself a snack.

Grabbing a box of cookies, she plopped down in front of the tv and turned it on. (A Japanese version of) _Friends _(just pretend it exists) was on, and she started laughing.

The phone rang. When she grabbed the receiver, she was surprised to hear her father's voice on the other end.

"Hi honey, how's it going?"

"Hey dad! I'm great. How are you? You don't call very often from work."

"Well I called today to tell you that we'll be having guests over for dinner. I already sent Touya to pick up some stuff, so if you could just clean up the house a bit that'd be great."

"Sure thing dad. How many people are coming?"

"One person, possibly two. She just arrived in Japan a couple ofdays ago, and joined our department today. Since I'm head of office I thought I should make her feel welcome by inviting her over."

"Who might she be bringing?"

"Her little brother. From what I heard she doesn't trust him at all around the house."

Sakura laughed.

"Okay dad, I'll clean up. You just worry about stuff at your end. See ya later."

"Bye sweetie."

Sakura hung up and looked around. Cookie crumbs were scattered all over the floor, cushions were thrown haphazardly around the room, drops of melting ice cream were sinking into the furniture and carpet, and a terrible blotch that looked like bloody coffee stained the table. Something tinkered behind her.

Sakura looked around just in time to see a tall pile of unwashed dishes waver and fall over with a resounding CRASH into the sink. She winced.

Glancing outside, she saw the plastic remnants of her poor alarm clock lying around, the pieces stretching over half the lawn. She thought of her empty unmade bed and cluttered desk upstairs, and decided to start cleaning. _Now, where's the vacuum?_

Then she remembered that the only working vacuum cleaner in the house was in the basement, currentlybeing suffocated by five years' worth of dust and unwanted Christmas presents.

"'Clean up a bit'", she muttered to herself. "I wish."

----------

"Finally..." With a tired groan, she flopped down onto the couch and surveyed her work. The living room was spotless, the kitchen shining, the lawn alarm clock free, the basement tidied up (which, in her opinion, was a terrific accomplishment) and upstairs, her room was a bit TOO clean.

"Ahh." sighing, she stretched out and turned the tv on again. But she was really tired. And the couch felt so soft..._Maybe I'll just rest a bit. I have plenty of time before they get here. _Her eyelids drooped and she fell asleep.

----------

"Here we are." A silver Mercedes pulled up into the Kinomoto driveway. A tall man with brown hair and large glasses climbed out, followed by a young woman and her brother.

The man led them up the pathway and onto the porch. He reached into his pocket and fumbled around.

"Oh dear...I think I've left the house keys at the office. I always knew I should have put them with the car keys. No matter, Sakura is home."

The young woman started. "Sakura? Is that your daughter Kinomoto-san?"

Fujitaka chuckled. "Yes it is, Ms. Li. Is something the matter?"

"Oh no, no no no of course not. It's just my little brother here has a girl in his class named Sakura. Why, he talks about her all the time." She laughed.

"Really?" Fujitaka smiled at the boy, who was turning steadily redder. "Well in that case, I'll just have to let her introduce us." And without further ado he rang the doorbell, and turned back to the boy. "It's really a nice surprise that you two are already acquainted. It's a small world after all, right Syaoran?"

"Right." Syaoran mumbled.

**(A/N: I have a thing against alarm clocks, in case any one wondered. They are annoying little things, aren't they? But my parents would kill me if I smashed even one, so I was reduced to taking my frustration out in this story. Now, I'm not that clear on the names of Syaoran's four sisters. I know Fanren, Fuutie, and...uhh yeah that's it. So could someone give me the other two names please? That would be much appreciated. I also need a list of all the honorifics...as you can see here I've left some out. If someone could give those to me too, that would also be much appreciated. Thanks a bunch! And review please!)**


	6. Life or Death? Truth or Dare?

**(Author's Note: I'm glad so many people found the last chapter amusing...I didn't really, but it's all good if you guys did. I'm still searching for honorifics if anyone has them. Here we go now, chapter 6.)**

Disclaimer: I don't own Cardcaptors characters: CLAMP does. I own their personalities in this story and any other character that I make up.

Chapter 6

"I wonder why she's not coming to the door...it's not like her to keep people waiting." Fujitaka checked his watch yet again, concerned. They had been standing outside for ten minutes, waiting and waiting for Sakura to come ande let them in. Occasionally either Fujitaka or Fuutie (previously known as Ms. Li) would say something to try and cover up the awkward silence. Syaoran just stood there, moody and quiet.

"Maybe she's not home yet?" suggested Fuutie. He shook his head.

"No, I called her a while ago, and she was there."

"Hmmm..."

Fujitaka rang the doorbell again.

----------

The television speakers blared out a sitcom, with the audience laughing loudly in the background. Sakura snored, not hearing a thing.

----------

Touya came walking up the garden path, his arms loaded with grocery bags. He looked at his father, Fuutie and Syaoran all grouped around the door, looking harassed.

"Dad?" he asked uncertainly. "What's up?"

"Touya!" His father looked more relieved to see him than he had in his entire life. "Thank goodness!"

"Did you guys just get here too?"

"No, we've been here for about ten minutes."

Touya frowned. "How come you're still standing here then? You didn't have to wait for me you know."

Fujitaka chuckled. "We weren't waiting for you ("Gee thanks, dad. You just made my day," thought Touya). We were waiting for your sister to let us in. Unfortunately, either she has run away or she's unable to come to the door for some reason."

Touya's brow furrowed. _What could've happened to her?_

He strode up to the door and pounded on it. "Sakura! Open up!" _Is the kaijou playing a prank on us? It's not funny..._

"Sakura! Open the door!" _If something's wrong..._

"SAKURA! LET US IN!" He slammed the door with his fists, the groceries dropping to the ground. Something cracked. Everyone sweatdropped. Touya didn't notice.

_But she wouldn't joke around...we have guests. She wouldn't do something as rude as this unless she really hates them. I guess I can't blame her. The kid _is_ pretty creepy. But if she's hurt I swear I'll kill the person who did it. Nobody bugs my little sister but me. Argh! What's happening in there? Why isn't she coming to the door? She wouldn't leave me standing here...I mean, I'm her BROTHER! And dad's her...well...her DAD! But if she doesn't answer, what will happen to us? What if we're stuck here on this doorstep forever? Until we die of hunger and cold our dried up bones are discovered by some archeologist hundreds of years from now? What if they put us in a museum? What will I do? I don't like being on display! I only look good in the flesh! NOOOO!_

He was just starting to get really worried, when...

"Why don't you try your key, son?"

Touya was stunned. Then, fuming, he shoved his hand into his pocket and groped around for his key. He pulled it out and stepped over a puddle of yellow stuff (it's only yolk from the eggs that broke...dont worry...) and jammed his key in the hole. There was a _click _as he turned it, and the door swung open. He stepped inside cautiously, followed by the others.

Looking around, he thought that the house was much cleaner than usual. _Evidently, whoever broke in didn't want to leave any forensic evidence, _his overly imaginative mind thought. Then he heard an earsplitting scream coming from the living room, followed by a round of maniacal laughter. _No! Sakura!_

Touya raced into the living room. His heart nearly stopped. A brown-haired girl was slowly backing away, being forced into a corner by a man in a long black overcoat, who was holding a gun. The girl was terrified, and looked close to fainting. Broken words were coming from her mouth.

"D-don't! I-I have connections you know! And my family will notice I'm gone! M-my brother will hunt you down! Leave me alone!"

"You foolish, foolish girl." The man in the overcoat spoke in gravelly tones. "Your brother can't save you now. Either you come with me, or I'll kill you on the spot and drag your carcass all over the street so that people can see how usefulyour _connections_ have been."

"He's so lame," muttered Syaoran.

"Shut up, kid! That's my favourite show!" Touya turned on Syaoran. Then he turned back, eyes glued to the tv screen. Everyone sweatdropped again. _He's even lamer than the guy on tv, _thought Syaoran, amused all the same. Then he started. _What...Sakura?_

Touya walked around the couch and planted his bottom firmly on it. Everyone stared at him.

"What?" He realized that they were looking past him. Following their line of vision, he saw a pale hang lying two inches from him. Letting out a high-pitched scream, he leapt off the couch, practically flying through the air to reach his father.

"Daddy..." he whimpered, looking fearfully over Fujitaka's shoulder at the sleeping form on the couch.

"Touya," Fujitaka said firmly. "Stop. It's your sister."

"...oh. I knew that."

Sakura was lying sprawled out on the couch, her head hanging off the edge, hugging a pillow. Syaoran hid a smile. _Wow...She looks so innocent when she's sleeping...or at least she would if she weren't drooling. _

Sakura stirred, hearing voices around her. _I must be still dreaming...I'm hearing voices. Mm...there's dad. He sounds like he's mad at Touya again. Hah, my brother's such a wimp. _A smile appeared on her face. Only Syaoran noticed it.

Sakura shifted, hugging onto the pillow tightly. _Who's that? Sounds like a woman. I wonder who it is. _

She turned, but the pillow slipped out of her grasp, falling onto the floor. Murmuring sleepily, Sakura reached onto the floor and groped around for it. Not finding it, she reached out farther, consequently losing her balance and falling on her head with a _thunk! _("the sound of a hollow head, no doubt," thought Syaoran, now unable to hide his widening smile)

"Ouch..." she muttered, rubbing her (apparently hollow) head and looking around at the (upside down) world blearily. She saw several pairs of feet, and heard several concerned exclamations coming from the owners of those feet. She saw the feet hurrying towards her, stepping around the pillow that was lying some two feet away from her. _There you are. Come here._

"Sakura?" Fujitaka shook her gently. "Come on now, honey. Wake up."

"Huh?" Sakura rolled over and stared up into the amused face of her father. "What happened?" She caught sight of Fuutie. "Who's she?"

"She's the one who joined our new department, remember?" He asked in a kindly, patient tone. "We're having dinner together."

"Oh...yeah." Sakura said with comprehension dawning on her face. She looked awkwardly at Fuutie. "Erm...hi."

"Hello Sakura," said Fuutie, smiling. "I've heard so much about you. This young man here speaks very highly of you." She indicated Syaoran, who had been waving his arms wildly, trying to indicate that he did _not_ want to be spoken about. She had obviously ignored him.

"Hmm? Oh, hello." Sakura hadn't noticed the boy with brown hair was Syaoran.

"Hi," he mumbled, raising his head to look at her.

Her eyes widened. "S-Syao...uhh...Li-kun?"_ What the hell is he doing here! I must have looked so weird sleeping... Wait. Why do I care again? _Another little voice in her head answered the first one. _Duh...'cause you like him! _

_No I don't! _the first voice retorted. _He's an arrogant jerk who doesn't know what's good for him._

_If he's such an arrogant jerk then why was he so nice to you at cross country? _asked the second voice slyly.

_I don't know! Don't ask me!_

_But I _am_ you, darrrling..._and it cackled evilly.

"Kaijou?" Touya frowned at his sister's face, which had become slack and impassive. "What's wrong with you?"

"N-nothing!" Sakura stuttered, pulling herself out of her reverie. She grinned reassuringly at him, then clambered to her feet.

"Great! Now we can start making dinner." Fujitaka smiled warmly at everyone (though not so much at Touya) and said (much to Sakura, Syaoran, and Touya's horror), "Sakura, why don't you show Syaoran here to your room? You two know each other already (he smiled at Syaoran), so you guys can hang around together and wait around while we make dinner. Sound good?"

Sakura swallowed. She couldn't exactly say "No dad, it doesn't sound good, why doesn't Syaoran stay downstairs and get bored out of his wits watching you guys making dinner, whilst I relax in my wonderful room that has been made for _me _and _me _alone?" She'd been brought up better than that. Instead, she sighed inwardly and said,

"Sure dad. Come on, let's go to my room." She purposely left his name out. Turning on her heel, she marched out of the room without making eye contact with anyone. She heard Syaoran following behind her, but he didn't say anything.

Out of the room, across the hallway, up the stairs, into Sakura's room. Stony silence.

Sakura sat down on her bed, not sure whether Syaoran would want to sit down or not. She fidgeted, thinking that he would want to sit, then gave up on the thought. _I have nothing to say to him...this is so embarrassing. I grow up with a brother (yeah okay, he's wimpy, and Syaoran's not, but he's still a guy, right?) and I still have trouble talking to the male population. Or is it just this particular individual?_

Syaoran stood there, looking around. This wasn't what he expected a girl's room to look like. He didn't know what he expected, but it wasn't this. He imagined something a little more pink. And frilly. Here, the only things that were a lighter shade of red than red was an article of clothing peeking out of the hastily shut closet door. He groaned inwardly, after taking in every detail of the room and there was nothing left to look at. _I have nothing to say to her...this is really embarassing. I was brought up with four rambunctious sisters (sure, they're girly, and Sakura's not, but they're still girls, right?) in the same house, surrounded by fashion and overexcitement about guys. And I still have trouble talking to the female species. Or maybe it's just her?_

Five minutes and much awkwardness later, with no sound except for a tiny cough followed by a quiet "excuse me" once in a while, they were both willing to talk just to have something to do. Most uncharacteristically, it was Syaoran who decided to break the silence.

"Nice room." He looked around again as he said it, not meeting her eyes.

"Thanks." _A conversation about my room. A nice, safe topic. Boooorring! But a lot better than nothing, I suppose. _

"Is your...head feeling better?" Syaoran asked, masking the tentativeness in his voice with a weak grin.

"Huh?" Her hand automatically went to her head, feeling around. "Oh," she said, finding the bald spot. "No, not yet." She grinned.

The tension in the room ceased, almost visibly, as both the inhabitants relaxed.

"So, do you wanna do something?" asked Sakura. As son as the words were out of her mouth, the doorbell rang. They heard Fujitaka opening the door, and people coming in. Laughter, then Fujitaka's voice.

"Sakura, a couple of your friends are here. I'm sending them up."

"Okay!" She turned to Syaoran. "Wonder who that could be..."

He shrugged.

A loud thunping sound on the door and a shriek announced the arrival of the strangers.

"Takashi! You freaking idiot! Look what you did to the door! Sakura-kun...Chan!" Sakura raised her eyebrows.

Another thumping sound and an ominous creak followed this statement.

Sakura bounded up and leapt at the door before it could collapse completely. She opened it carefully, and grinned at the startled faces of Takashi and Chiharu. The grin fell away as she surveyed her door. A thin but terribly long crack ran almost the length of the door.

"Sorry," said Takashi guiltily, Chiharu nodding at his side.

Sakura laughed and waved them in. "It's okay...it'll just be a small problem when my dad sees it."

She followed them in and closed the door. Chiharu looked around at her, a smile playing around the corners of her mouth.

"Hey Syao-kun!" said Takashi, smiling broadly and walking over to smack Syaoran on the back.

"Err...Syaoran's here..." said Sakura unnecessarily.

"Anyway, our parents heard that you guys were throwing a get-to-know-you party, so they decided to drop in. And I thought you guys might be bored, so I brought some games." (everyone sweatdropped, staring at her) Chiharu reached into the bag that she had with her, and started pulling things out. "Let's see...I have Twister, Scrabble, Monopoly, and Jenga Truth or Dare."

"Monopoly is too predictable." Sakura complained. "And long."

Syaoran nodded.

Heartened but not showing it, Sakura went on.

"Scrabble's pretty boring too. Making words is okay, but who wants to have points about it?"

"Probably not you, considering you're no whiz at language," Chiharu said pointedly.

"And knowing that Chiharu-chan is playing, I will be wise for once and stay away from the Twister board." Takashi declared. "She's probably gonna make me bend into weird shapes and stick my head up someone's ass."

Chiharu glowered, colouring. Sakura laughed.

"Okay then," Chiharu said, taking control again. "Nothing left to do but play Jenga."

Nobody argued.

They all sat in a circle around the tower of blocks.

"Okay? Takashi-kun, you go first."

He blanched. "Why me?"

"'Cause I said so. Now go!"

Looking resigned, Takashi reached in and carefully removed a plain block from the tower. He gently placed it on top, smiling at Chiharu's exasperated expression that he hadn't done something more interesting.

"Your turn Chiharu-chan."

"Screw you," she muttered. She leaned forward and pulled a red block from the tower.

"Here's how you _really _play Jenga Truth or Dare you idiot," she snapped nastily. "You actually go for the _coloured _ones." Her scowl faded as she looked down at the block in her hand, to be replaced by one of incredulity.

"What is it Chiharu-chan?" Sakura leaned forward eagerly, trying to see.

Chiharu shut her eyes, hiding the block from Sakura's eyes. _Okay Chiharu, you can do this. I mean, you want to do it don't you? _

Another little voice answered the first one in her head. _NO! NO! Are you kidding yourself woman? You hate him! He's like...like...a LIAR! Yeah!_

"Wake up!" Chiharu opened her eyes to see Syaoran glaring at her. "Get on with it."

She glared back at him, then shut her eyes for a split second again, bracing herself. Then she quickly leaned over to her left and kissed Takashi on the cheek. She lingered for a second, feeling the closeness. Then she pulled away as fast as she could without breaking the sound barrier.

And the room was filled with loud silence. Crickets chirped. Tumbleweed rolled across the scene, accompanied by a gust of wind. Chiharu looked up from her lap, cheeks flaming, to see both Sakura and Syaoran sitting stock-still, their faces unaturally straight. _Uh oh..._she thought. She didn't dare look at Takashi. So she looked back down.

There was a small cough. And another. And a stifled giggle. _Oh no. _

"Uhhm...good job Chiharu-chan." She glanced up at Sakura to see her friend and Syaoran fighting back laughter. It was obviously a losing battle.

Sakura reached out to pull a block from the tower, but her hand shook so badly with barely contained mirth that it was a wonder she had managed to hold it in for so long. She finally gave up on the block and withdrew to calm herself. Her shoulders, which were shaking like there was no tomorrow, were matched only by Syaoran's.

She heard a sigh, and felt herself give an odd sort of twitch. "Well," she heard Takashi say. "It could be worse."

She was so relieved that he wasn't taking this the wrong way (and in a strange sense, just a little disappointed) that she replied almost scathingly.

"How so?"

"Well, for starters," he said in his most annoying voice. "They could actually be laughing aloud, which would make this all the more awkward and embarassing for us. They could also be mocking you and teasing me, which would be even more awkward and embarassing, and furthermore..."

"Okay okay! I get it!"

Sakura pulled herself together just long enough after this argument to yank another plain block from the tower, which then swayed ominously. Sakura stared so hard at it, her face fearful, that Syaoran remarked dryly that it looked like she was advertising a strange new way to show that you were constipated.

She narrowed her eyes at him and he grinned back innocently while Chiharu and Takashi took their turn to laugh at them. _He's not the nicest guy in the world, _she found herself thinking. _But he's pretty funny._

She sighed. Might as well be nice to him. After all, he was her guest.

"Go on Li-kun. It's your turn."

His smile turned into a scowl. "Don't tell me what to do."

Sakura was offended. "Well I'm so-rry. Should I shut up now Mr. High-and-mighty?"

"That suits me fine."

"Fine."

"I thought you were going to shut up."

"You can't make me."

"Wanna bet?"

"No."

"Chicken."

"Pig."

"You're fatter than I am."

"How would you know?"

"I'm phsycic."

"Or do you have x-ray vision?"

There was a cough. Sakura realized what she'd just said. Her ears immediately felt warm. Chiharu and Takashi were grinning from ear to ear.

"Well?" Takashi prompted. "Do you, Syao-kun?"

Syaoran's face was unreadable. "I'm blind. Happy?"

"Yes." Sakura huffed and fell silent.

Syaoran raised his eyebrows and looked around at everyone. Then he silently removed a block from the tower. They all watched in anticipation as he looked at the red block. His face didn't betray his feelings. _What the hell is this? What kind of game is this? Who'd be bored enough to invent something like this? _

Sighing, he turned to Sakura. "Can I quit the game?"

She was taken aback by his polite request. "Ye--"

"No!" They looked up. Chiharu was glaring at Syaoran. "That's not fair. You have to do it. No backing out."

He waved the brick at her. "This is just stupid. Look."

"I'm not supposed to--" she fell silent as she read the piece of wood clenched in Syaoran's hand.

"Ahahahahaha!" They all jumped as Chiharu collapsed onto her side, laughing like a madwoman. Syaoran's eyebrow twitched.

"You see?"

She gasped for breath, still chuckling. "No! I think you really should do it..."

He just looked at her, the look on his face plainly stating that he wanted nothing to do with it. _If there were a cliff here, I'd probably jump, _he thought grumpily. So he sat there for a second, thinking of the best way to approach the situation. Finally, he sighed. _I got myself into this. I suppose I was just begging for it to happen. _

He grimaced, then said to Takashi, in the gayest, most retarded voice he could muster, "I love you, honey. You're my world. Will you marry me?" He said it with such a sincere face that they were all shocked. Takashi blinked.

"Uhh..."

Syaoran shuddered, then wiped his mouth on his sleeve, as if trying to wipe away all the evidence of what he had said. "That felt so wrong..." he muttered.

Sakura grinned. "I actually thought you were serious."

He narrowed his eyes at her. She sweatdropped.

"Takashi-kun! It's your turn again!" Chiharu screeched, disrupting their staring contest.

"Oh...oh yeah." Takashi looked nervous.

"Go!"

"Fine, fine..."

He crawled forward on his hands and knees, and reached over to slide a block out. He paused for a second, before sliding the block out. It looked as if he had been pondering whether to just knock over the tower and get it over with or not. In the end though, his overly active conscience had forced him to pick up a green block. He read it with his nonexistent eyes, frowning.

"Which person in the room would you most like to go out with?"

He glanced uneasily around at his friends, who were all staring (although not so much Syaoran, who was hiding it quite well) at him expectantly.

_Oh boy, _he thought. _Well, I think the choice is clear here. There are only two girls and I doubt I'm gay, so..._

"Chiharu-chan. She's a good buddy."

Chiharu blushed, then reached out and smacked him over the head. "Hentai!"

"Ow! Hey! You're the one who _kissed _me! Don't call _me_ hentai!"

"I had no choice! You decided to sit on my left! It said to 'kiss the person on your left'!"

Sakura and Syaoran exchanged amused looks. This was fun.

As if they had jinxed the game by thinking it, Fujitaka's voice floated up from downstairs.

"Hey you guys! Come on...it's time for dinner!"

Sakura sighed. _Just when we were all finally getting along._

"Come on." She stood up with a groan, stretching out her cramped legs. "Let's go."

Takashi and Chiharu stood up at once, still yapping at each other. But it was almost painfully obvious that they were enjoying themselves. Syaoran got up and followed her soundlessly, only stopping to exchange smirks with Sakura.

She turned around, waited for them all to go out of the room, and shut her door. Her heart was thumping. _I'm so pathetic. _

She clunked herself on the head, then followed the others downstairs.

**(A/N: Ahh...I am angry. Didn't update for ages again. But I hope you enjoyed that. I think it's the only time I'm going to put Truth or Dare concepts in the story. Next chapter, the horrible dinner, made by Touya, who somehow has an alter ego (which I made up) that nobody has ever seen before. Brace yourselves.) **


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